Crossbow bolt to the foot

**Frodo52** · November 28, 2007, 08:24 AM

In my Italian campaign, I had the following situation:

I had a venerable (read geriatric) Doge who had led Venice well for many years.

His first son, the Councillor, was a total waste of human life. A coward with silly beliefs surrounded by pagan priests. I had been sending him deep into enemy lands to raid with the hope that he'd either win himself some honors or (more likely) die trying.

But the Councillor's first son was a Great Crusader and a grand person all around. Intelligent and energetic. With a great retinue. He was born for the job. So the good genes just skipped a generation there.

I also wanted to snap up this tasty tart of a Hungarian princess who just oozed charm. Good breeding stock there. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.

So I waited for the Doge to kick off. The old fart was in his 80's and must have been in poor health. I figured as soon as he passed, I'd do a quick 'crap province for your daughter' deal with Hungary. And then the current Councillor could go on a nice long boat trip in pirate-infested waters.

But the Doge lived on. 80. 85. 90. The Councillor found himself a foreign fruit to further embarass the family. And the Councillor's son put off bride after bride until he wasn't approached by any more. And the Hungarian princess was kind of approaching the end of her shelf life, so to speak.

Then, in one year, the Doge died of natural causes. The hungarian princess disappeared and was (presumably) married off into the HRE. And my Councillor finally found his well-deserved demise on the end of a Byzantine spearpoint.

But that leaves me in a pickle. I've got an unmarried Doge in his 30's with no children and no prospects except for a few ugly hags in their 40's wandering Italy.

This could have been avoided if there were a way to marry the 2nd or 3rd in line to foreign princesses. It's not like there's a lack of them running around.

What's the best way to go here? Marry a hag and hope she's still got one more in her uterus-wise? Wait to be approached by another bride? Go on campaign and hope to adopt someone worthwhile?